I am a white boy (I'm more than fly for a white guy). I know my music. I love rap. No, Vanilla Ice isn't my hero and I didn't buy Eminem's CD because of the color of his skin. I have been listening to rap since the days of Run-DMC, Grandmaster Flash and when LL Cool J really was the greatest of all time.
I have noticed a trend. More and more rappers are putting out CDs as fast as possible in order to cash in on their success before a bullet cashes in on their life. The only problem is that it seems like no one can repeat the success. And often times an artist's, second or third CD is a lame attempt and consumers end up wasting their hard earned money and time.
I believe the rap industry has caused more and more people to flock to Napster (See last month's article on Napster ). Why? Let me explain. When Musician A comes out with his/her first hit CD, it totally kicks ass from start to finish. Barely six months go by and 'bam,' a new CD is out, and it still kicks ass, but not too much. Mostly the CD is filler songs and only four or five really good songs. Still, that's good. (It fills my status quo for a good CD). So, now Musician A has money, success and mad people rushing him/her to get another record out before people forget about him/her. Musician A is then scheduled to release a third CD, so a single is released several months before the LP goes on sale. What a song! Great beats, phat rhymes, some children singing the hook. As soon as it comes out, 'wham,' my money is on the counter, the CD is in my hand and I'm off to my house to give it a listen.
Whoa! Skip that song cause it sucks. The next song isn't any good either. There's the single that was phat. Here is where the CD gets good, after this song, all the others are going to be great! Nope. I should have gone to Napster and downloaded that phat single, I heard months ago, instead of putting down $14.99 or $19.99 for this crap. It seems like almost no one knows the art of improvement.
Allow Me to Prove my Point:
There was a time when artists told a story or made you feel involved in what they were saying. They always had an interesting thing to say and always knew how to make a song itself catchy, not just have a catchy beat. These stars never had a hard time finding something to write about. They are the guys who listened to Run DMC and stars of the past and learned something from it.
B.I.G. and Tupac never had this problem. And it seems like almost everyone connected with Dr. Dre, with the exception of Ice Cube, doesn't have this problem either. Dr. Dre took his time and The Chronic 2000 was as good as his first Chronic, if not better. Eminem's second CD blows away his first CD in terms of mood, beats and message. You can see the genius in Snoop with every CD. He hasn't changed his style at all. He's just the best damn dog in the doghouse.
Nelly has come out with a fantastic CD. Rah Diggah's CD packs a punch. Will their second be as good? Probably not. The industry rushes the talent, and the writing actually reflects this. Take a break. If the inspiration ain't there at the moment, wait until it is. And stay out of trouble until then so you can see the day of your second CD. You run out of rhymes, you run out of time. If your second CD sucks, because you rushed it, you can take all the time you want before the third CD, and no one will listen to it, no matter how good it is.
The greatest rappers of all time know when to quit, know when to take a break. If I just bought your CD last week and you're out with another one today you can forget about me buying your next CD. Sorry, but my money is too precious to me and I all ready know it sucks. Give it a year and try again.
Do you agree with me? Do you think I am F**kin' Nuts? Then drop me a line at JMinners@ybfree.com.